Current Gumnut Accounts

Gumnut Donor Testimonials

The potential of establishing a philanthropic savings account was very appealing. It provides donors with a tax effective savings structure within a very supportive Foundation environment. As both the administrative and investment decisions are managed by the Foundation, donors are able to focus upon the projects and partnership arrangements that can have the most impact. - Green Cities

For twenty years philanthropy and community have played an important role in our lives.
Our Gumnut fund offers us the promise of working with our children, now in their early twenties, to support other people’s needs.
When our family has built the fund to $20K, we look forward to investing in projects together with the support of the Foundation. - Gumnut One

We chose to open a Gumnut Account through the Foundation as a family.

Why? Our long term goal is to show our children that ‘it is better to give than to receive’. They may not understand giving now (as 14, 11 and 8 year olds, receiving seems pretty good fun) but they made the decision to cut back a little on excesses now in order to gradually build something they can direct and that will last into their adult lives and the lives of their children. What other ‘product’ offers both long term growth and education about values?

We are looking forward to using the decision making process about what we want to support, to raise debate in our family - about how we can contribute the most good in the areas we think are most in need, and influence the kind of social change we want to see. - KRILS Fund

My teenage daughters and I recently opened a sub-fund ‘Gumnut Account’ with Australian Communities Foundation.

We propose to gradually build up our own sub-fund. When the account balance has reached $20,000.00 we intend, through the Foundation, to direct the income from the sub-fund each year towards charitable activity we want to support.

We think this approach has several things to recommend it –

Deposits [donations] can be made into our Gumnut account at any time;
The donor receives a tax deduction for the donation in the year it is made;
The sub-fund will grow each year by a combination of the deposits and income earned because the Foundation manage the sub-funds as a pool;
When the balance has reached $20,000.00 we shall be able to decide which organisations/activities we help and how we help;

I am at the stage of life when I’d rather have money that might be spent on gifts for me on my birthday, Christmas, Father’s Day etc. applied more meaningfully. One way is to suggest a donation to this Gumnut account rather than to buying a gift. My daughters might, in years to come, feel similarly.

My daughters and I can work together in a long-term project, which requires a commitment from all of us. - Edge Ways

The Krils charity fund is a family account where each year we donate $2000 for a Christmas present, and once it is all saved up the three kids will give money to a charity of our choice.

It's a great way to build up money and know that you're helping as many different causes as possible. My brother, sister and I will keep this account going for many years to come, and then hopefully give it to our children/grand-children. We named it the Krils fund because those are the initials of our family now, and my great great grand-children will hopefully still be doing the same thing in years to come, and remember that we can help the community and also remember who started it in the first place.

I would like to explore the possibilities with the charities that we donate to which is why the Foundation is so good, because it can help us understand what is needed and what we can do. - KRILS Fund